Extensible bag



July 20, 1937. A. L. WITTENBERG ET AL EXTENS IB LE BAG Filed May 6, 1936 x a LJN ITTG 03,9 2% J a jlmmm til Patented July 20, 1937 EXTENSIBLE BAG Allen L. Wittenberg, New York, and Samuel Kazan, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application May 6, 1936, Serial No. 78,270

5 Claims.

This invention relates to a novel design of bags and brief cases and more especially to those of the extension or bellows type.

When not used for transporting purposes, a bag of this type normally remained in a supine position on one of its flat faces.

The pleats or gussets around the sides and bottom and between the front and back of such a bag which allow the expanding and collapsing of the bag must necessarily be of comparatively thin material, to be effective.

Later more general increase in their use for diverse and varied purposes other than that intended by their original design has developed need for their standing in an upright position on their bases.

As a result, when the bag is placed on the edges of these pleats they become soiled, defaced and quickly mutilated or worn.

When such bag is extended due to its contents, these gussets may be weighted down and come in contact with the ground and become marred and chafed and sometimes wet which spoils their appearance and wearing qualities and affects their proper operation adversely.

Attempts have been made to protect these gussets by reinforcing their edges so that they would have heavier contacting surface material. This does not prevent their defacement. Other bags have been made with girdle straps and sometimes with special protectors for these straps so that the gussets would contact the straps and not the floor or ground. This transfers the wearing surface from the entire bottom edges of the gussets to certain parts thereof.

Our invention protects the gussets in their entirety from soiling, wearing and abrasion by not allowing them to come in contact with anything on their outside surfaces. The bellows formed by the accordion pleated gussets expand and contract freely without coming in contact with the ground or with straps or pads thus entirely eliminating wear due to external contact by wholly removing the cause thereof. At the same time, our construction allows the bag to stand upright on end, firmly on its own base, Without the use of any external appendixes such as straps or protective members for the straps.

With our invention there is produced a bag with completely protected gussets. The gussets can not become soiled or defaced thus prolonging the life of the bag. They cannot extend beyond a predetermined length, thus eliminating excess tension on the stitching when bag is full. The bag stands firmly erect on its base. The base or ground contacting surface is an integral part of the bag and not an appendix to it, to become lost or disarranged. The bag is flexible as to its use, yet rigid when standing on its base.

Further objects of the invention will hereinafter appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment illustrative of the invention and shown in the accompanying drawing in which:-

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a bag embodying our invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same when extended,

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of our new design illustrating the bag when extended, and

Fig. 4 is a skeleton view in perspective of the reinforcement.

Referring to the drawing we have a case I of the bellows or extension type comprising a front face 2 with an extended bent under base portion 3. The rear face 4 has its lower section bent under as a base portion 5 and its upper section extended to produce a top cover 6 with its frontembracing flap 1 and lock 8. Flap 1 has a handle 9 attached to itin any of the conventional ways. Short stationary binding straps Ill, are attached to front flap l and front face 2. These straps are not of the girdle type and do not encircle the bag. The flexible accordion pleated gusset has accordion pleats II and scams l2. In certain types of bags the customary dividers that make up the compartments are included in seams Each base portion 3 and, 5 is connected together by a rigid metallic stay l3, I l, pivoted at 55 and I6 respectively and hinged at ll. The usual bag base knobs I8 are fastened to the base portions. A continuous reinforcement for the front side and base portion is shown standing erect at l92 0--2 l2223 and for the back face and its base portion, at 2d--25-26-2l and 28.

The faces 2 and 4 of the bag I enclose within them an enveloping portion formed on the sides and bottom by flexible gussets of the bellows type. These may be regular accordion pleats ll, fastened together at seams l2. The faces 2 and 4 extend downwardly below the line of attachment of the bottom gusset. These faces are reinforced inconspicuously on the inside by a frame-work of rigid wire or metallic ribbon positioned around the continuous perimeter of their sides and lower edges as at l9--2l32l22-23 on face 2 and at 2 l-25-2621 and 28 on face 4. With their reinforcement in place, they are bent under at approximately right angles and extend inwardly from the sides forming flat, plane, base sections 3 and 5 on which the bag will be held in position and will stand erect enclosing within, the bottom gusset. The gauge of the metallic reinforcing framework must be sufiicientto keep the bent under portions 3 and 5 in a definite angular position substantially at right angles to the outside contiguous faces 2 and 4 of which they originally formed an extension.

Base sections 3 and 5 are of sufficient width so that they meet when bag is not extended. The lines where the faces 2 and 4 are bent under to form the base are suificiently spaced from the point of attachment of the bottom gussets to allow clearance between the interior surfaces of the base sections 3 and 5 thus formed and the seams of the bottom gusset when bag is closed or extended or when bag is full, allowing free operation of the said gusset.

Sufiicient clearance is allowed in addition to permit the mounting of the connecting stay l 3"l4'which provides extensile means for connecting the base'sections 3 and 5. This stay may consist of flat rigid jointed members pivoted to the inconspicuous upper interior surfaces of the sections of the base at 15 and i8 and hinged to each other at H.

This jointed stay running across between said base sections when fully extended is preferably shorter than the bottom gusset when extended, in order to take the strain off the stitching in the bottom gusset, to give rigidity to the bag and to keep both sections of the base in the same plane so that the bag may rest firmly on its split base. Due to its location, this stay is not visible when bag is not extended. For certain types and sizes of bags there may be more than one of these stays. Retaining straps H! are stationary and not of the usual girdletype.

Having described the preferred embodiment illustrative of our invention, we claim:

- .1. An extension bag including a front and rear face, flexible gussetsconnecting said faces on the sides and bottom, a supporting base comprising sections of the faces bent inwardly therefrom,

separable in the same plane, enclosing the pleated folds of the bottom gusset, and a jointed stay for connecting said base sections.

2-. An extension bag including a front and rear face, accordion pleated gussets connecting said faces on the sides and bottom, a supporting base comprising sections of the faces bent inwardly therefrom, said sections of the base being contiguous and separable in the same plane, and a jointed stay, having two members centrally hinged, pivoted to each section of the base, said stay when fully extended being shorter than the bottom gusset fully extended.

3. An extension bag including a front and rear face, accordion pleated gussets connecting said faces on the sides and bottom, a supporting base comprising sections of the faces bent inwardly therefrom and independent of the bottom gusset, and a continuous relatively rigid reinforcing member extending around the side edges of each face and co -extensive with the perimeter of its base section.

4. An extension bag including a front and rear face, accordion pleated gussets connecting said faces on the sides and bottom, said faces extending below the bottom gusset and bending under forming sections of a base, said gussets being free operating and enclosed within said sections of the base separable in the same plane and substantially parallel to lower movable edges of said bottom gusset, and a rigid jointed member connecting said sections of the base.

5. An extension bag including a front and rear face, accordion pleated gussets connecting said faces on the sides and bottom, said faces extending and forming inwardly bent sections of the base, said faces and base sections being rigidly and inconspicuously reinforced around the continuous perimeters of their sides and lower edges, and a jointed stay connecting both sections of the base, said stay having two rigid members each pivoted on one end to the inner surface of the base and hinged to each other on their other ends.

ALLEN L. WITTENBERG. SAMUEL KAZAN. 

